Keep Moving
by Sevi Snape
Summary: Hermione is married to her dream guy. But now the dream is more of a nightmare and she tries to run form it. Not easy when your daughter knows more than she should and your past comes to haunt you. R and R


I don't own the characters except for baby Harry and Annabelle. The song is by savage garden and is called 'two beds and a coffee machine.' Please enjoy and I should carry this one on, that is if people want me to. 

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**Keep Moving**

Hermione sat in the silence of her house, amidst the mess around her. Glass from photo frames that had been hurled at the wall along with the overturned tables strewn across the floor. She lifted her head from her knees. She had been huddled in the corner crouched so small and trying to disappear from here. Looking around she noticed the mess. Slowly unfurling from her lowly position and got to her feet, silently crept across to the bedroom door and opened it quietly. She could see the shape of her husband covered in a blanket motionless on the bed. Good, he was sleeping and she could get out without much trouble.

Hermione didn't need anything anymore. Already she had been shouting and screaming at him to stop or arguing with him. Every week the same thing, he would roll in from the pub drunk and hostile. He'd stumble in usually in the wee small hours of the morning and she would of been sitting there on the couch or fallen asleep while waiting for him. She did it because she wanted to make sure he was safe at home before she allowed herself to go to bed and sleep. He would find her sitting there waiting, call her interfering and nosey. This was always how it would start, so she just went to bed before he came home the next time. This only served to cause the same amount of anger. He would tell her she was an awful wife that she didn't care. He'd argue about the kids, the arguments would get vicious, he would bring up everything he could think of to insult her with. The fact she was a muggle born, that she had left her best friend to die, that she was sneaky and a spy.  Then he would get violent. Not to an extreme extent but any sort of violence is scary. He would throw things at the wall, photo frames, vases, end tables. Sometimes the objects were aimed at Hermione; a few times the object he threw was his fist. He never ever showed this side to the children, for this she was grateful in a strange way, at least the children wouldn't get hurt or see their father like this.

Hermione began picking up the glass and straitening the furniture in they're upstairs lounge. Putting all the glass on one of the tables and picking up her wand. 

"Repiro." She muttered tot the heap of glass and the vas returned to its former glory. Then she tuned her attention on the photo frame. She repaired and picked it up, looking at it sadly. It was a family portrait, a muggle one. They were all there smiling and laughing. If it had been a wizard picture she doubted they would all be in the picture, her picture self would have left, leaving her husband alone. She sighed and put the picture back on its table and pocketed her wand. 

Now the house was calm and she could get away. She crept out of the room and onto the landing. Stepping over toys and the broken picture frames she made her way to the children's bedroom. 

"Annabelle," she whispered gently shaking the child's shoulder. "Belle dear, wake up."  The child stirred and looked up at her mother's tears streaked face and knew that she would have to get wrapped up. 

Hermione went over to the baby's crib, he was fast asleep. She picked the baby boy up and wrapped him in his blanket and picked up his teddy from the crib before walking out of the room and down the stairs. Annabelle was following her mother pulling on a jumper and carrying a book and a small stuffed snake. 

Hermione grabbed the keys from the table next to the front door and unlocked it. She stepped aside to let Annabelle through and grabbed her coat with the hand that wasn't supporting baby Harry. She walked outside and shut the door then walked tot the car and clicked the automatic unlock button on the keys in her hand. She opened the passenger side rear door and put the baby in his car seat. He stirred a bit and opened his eyes.

"Shush darling, go back to sleep." Hermione whispered softly to him and he closed his eyes again.  When the baby was strapped in and Hermione had checked Annabelle was in the car safely too, she walked round the drivers' side and opened the door. Before she got in she looked up at the front bedroom window. The silhouette of her husband watching her leave. He didn't mean to hurt her, but he couldn't control himself when drunk and he couldn't stop drinking. She just looked at him pitifully and sadly, tears still falling on to her cheeks. She got into the car and put her seat belt on, started the car.

"Goodbye again, Sirius." She whispered more to herself and drove off, knowing full well that she would be back within a day or two.  Sometimes she just had to get away, never alone she couldn't think of ever leaving the children. She had to take them with her every time, she wondered if she had never had children would she still be with them. It was for their sake that she did this; she thought they needed their father. Their father also needed them, without them she doubted he would still be alive. 

Hermione checked the clock on the radio, 3.38am. She reached out and knocked on the radio. Immediately a song spilled form speakers.  
  
And she takes another step  
Slowly she opens the door  
Check that he is sleeping  
Pick up all the broken glass and furniture on the floor  
Been up half the night screaming now it's time to get away  
Pack up the kids in the car  
Another bruise to try and hide  
Another alibi to write  
  
Another ditch in the road  
You keep moving  
Another stop sign  
You keep moving on  
And the years go by so fast  
Wonder how I ever made it through  
  
And there are children to think of  
Baby's asleep in the backseat  
Wonder how they'll ever make it through this living nightmare  
But the mind is an amazing thing  
Full of candy dreams and new toys and another cheap hotel  
Two beds and a coffee machine  
But there are groceries to buy  
And she knows she'll have to go home  
  
Another ditch in the road  
You keep moving  
Another stop sign  
You keep moving on  
And the years go by so fast  
Wonder how I ever made it through  
  
Another bruise to try and hide  
Another alibi to write  
Another lonely highway in the black of night  
But there's hope in the darkness  
You know you're going to make it  
  
Another ditch in the road  
Keep moving  
Another stop sign  
You keep moving on  
And the years go by so fast  
Silent fortress built to last  
Wonder how I ever made it

Hermione knocked the radio off again, tears rolling down her face again and making her mascara run even more.

"Where're we going tonight mum?" Annabelle queried, clutching at her snake toy.

"Erm I don't know. Just away from our house. Let your dad have sometime to himself." Hermione said not looking at her daughter.

"Mum can I use your wand. I want to read." Annabelle asked.  Hermione took out her wand and whispered 'lumos' and handed it to her daughter.  At about 4.30am Hermione reached Hogsmeade, she parked the car and took the baby out and locked it after they were all out. She walked into the pub. She didn't always come here as her sanctuary, but tonight wanted to be back where she felt safe. Hogwarts, the safest place she knew. Of course she couldn't very well work up into the castle and ask to stay, but being this much closer to it and to Dumbledore calmed her. She knew that it was silly really, because if Sirius wanted to find her he could easily do so. But she knew he wouldn't come after her. 

She booked a room in the inn and took the key that was handed to her by Madame Rosmerta. Trekking up the stairs Hermione found their room and unlocked the door. Same as usual, a grubby little cheap room, two beds, a crib and a coffee machine. That was the height of luxury here. Sighing Hermione laid Harry down in the crib and looked at Annabelle. 

"Why?" Annabelle asked angrily before taking off some of her many layers and crawling into one of the beds.   
She turned her back on her mother and lay there crying into the pillow. Hermione wanted to comfort her but she couldn't. What could you say to an 8 year old girl that would make having to leave your home every week for a night because her parents argue any better? Hermione left the room and locked it behind her. Now was the time to admit defeat and go up to the castle. 

"Rosmerta? Could you keep an eye on my children?" Hermione asked with tears in her eyes.  The land lady nodded and gave Hermione a look of pity. Hermione left the pub and walked up to the entrance of the Hogwarts castle grounds. The boars either side seemed to frown at her. She felt like she was running back to her parents, which of course she couldn't do, because they were dead. 

Hermione walked past Hagrid's hut and remembered the great times she had spent there with Harry and Ron. She didn't stop there though; she carried on past the hut and the lake right up to the doors of the entrance hall. She didn't expect them to be open, but she pushed them anyway. To her surprise they were and she stepped inside the castle. The warm hit her immediately.  The barriers and the strength that she had kept in her through pure need to keep going left her. She collapsed through exhaustion and relief. She was safe now. 

"Good lord!" she heard a voice say from the top of the marble stairs and a patter of footsteps run down to her. She felt someone pick her up and carry her. She wasn't really paying attention too much after that, she must have fainted again because when she woke up she was in the headmaster's office. 

"Oh I'm sorry Professor." She began to say, but Dumbledore shook his head and held his hand up for silence.

"Hermione I don't want to hear an explanation. I assume your reason for being here is a good one. I also have taken the liberty of bringing your children up to the castle and into safety." He smiled at her.  Relief flooded Hermione's body and she smiled too. She and her children were safe and she would be for a long time.

"But tell me Hermione how exactly did you get that cut on your cheek? And also that rather stunning black eye?" he asked handing Hermione a glass of brandy.

"These?" Hermione asked pointing to her face, "I fell over in the… garden and… hit my head on the… edge of a…concrete step." She said and tried to sound convincing.  

Dumbledore looked skeptical but accepted it.

"Well you're welcome to stay here in the castle long as you want. As you know, and have known for some time, Severus is a spy for our side, and he has a mission of sorts to do soon and I was wondering if you minded keeping up the fight here? Taking the potions classes for a week or so?" Dumbledore asked already knowing the full well the answer would be…

"Yes! Of course!" Hermione exclaimed. It had been her dream to teach but after getting pregnant not long after leaving Hogwarts she never managed it. Now at 26 she could live her dream. 

"Also you are welcome to stay in the castle for the rest of the year, for convenience, of course." Dumbledore said and sat at his desk.

Hermione stopped and thought about it. Leave Sirius? She couldn't. The children wouldn't be able to stay in the castle too, not for the year and she couldn't leave them with Sirius. Also there was the shopping to do and cleaning, the baby had nursery and Annabelle had school. She couldn't change their lives too. 

"I can't." Hermione said plainly. 

Dumbledore just nodded and dismissed her with a flick of his hand. She left the room and walked down the moving staircase only to walk straight into someone.

"I'm sorry…" Hermione said and looked at the figure.

"Miss Granger?" it was Severus Snape.

"Hello Professor. I was just going to my rooms." Hermione said and then laughed. "I feel like I'm back at school again."

"You are." He said his arms crossed and his gaze piercing. "What exactly are you doing back in the school? Black not fulfilling his role as husband and sex god?" Severus asked scathingly. 

"My husband is quite fine thank you very much." The icy tone she hand heard him use so many times was present in her voice. "I'm here to do you a favour actually."

"I need no help from you." Severus said quickly and walked past her up and the staircase.

Hermione felt angry and belittled, just as she had done when she was younger. 

~*~

Hermione found her way to the rooms she had been given. The crib was there and Harry was still asleep but Annabelle was now very much awake. 

"You should be asleep." Hermione said tiredly and collapsed onto the couch, closing her eyes. 

"I don't want to go to sleep. I want my dad." Annabelle said her lips pulled into a tight thin line. 

"Dear you'll see daddy tomorrow we'll go back then." Hermione said without moving.

"I don't mean Sirius. I mean my dad. I know Sirius black isn't my dad. I have known for a long time." Annabelle said her arms crossed.

"What are you saying Annabelle I have no idea what you're talking about." Hermione said, her bluff failing her. 

She had tensed up and she was starting to blush. She knew exactly what she meant.

"Well mother let me tell you then." Annabelle said staring at her mother. "Well I know how violent Sirius can get and one day when you were out collecting Harry from nursery he started shouting at me when he came in from the pub. He said I was just as horrible as my father. He told me I was just as slimy and as annoying as Severus Snape. Saying I was a bastard child and that he wished I wasn't here." Annabelle refused to cry, tears were welling in her eyes but she determinedly fought them back and carried on. "Well mum I want to meet him; I want to meet my father."

Hermione floundered for a moment. Se had hoped this would never happen. One; she didn't know how Severus would react to this and two; she didn't want to have explain it to him. Add to this fact that she had slept with him in the first place and she had a real mess to sort out.

"Annabelle dear, you can but I have to talk to him first," she said trying to soothe the child. "How did you know he was here?" 

Annabelle looked at her mother incredulously.

"All your stories about Harry Potter and Uncle Ron? They were never complete without stories of the teachers here, my father being one of them." She said and sat there still.

Hermione looked at her daughter, the small for with dark black sleek hair and chocolate eyes. She had a determined set look on her face and her lips were pulled painfully thin. Yes she did resemble her father slightly, but it was more her attitude that gave her parentage away. She never shouted, when she was angry she would speak slowly and in an icy tone. 

"You should go to bed dear." Hermione said finally. 

Annabelle nodded and went and got into bed again without hugging her mother. Hermione sat exhausted. 

"Oh and mum?" Annabelle said padding back in.

"Yes?" Hermione answered.

"I don't ever want to go back home." She said and went back to bed.

"That makes two of us." Hermione said to herself as she lay back down on the couch. 

~*~

"Mum! Mum! Mum!" Harry shouted at the sleeping form of his mother when he woke the next day. 

Hermione stirred and opened her eyes.

"What is it Harry dear?" Hermione asked wishing he could talk properly, but he was only one and a half. 

"Mum! Mum! Want juice!" he demanded banging the crib sides and bouncing on the creaky mattress.

Hermione got up and went and got him out of his crib. She pulled her wand out of her pocket and conjured a beaker of juice and handed it to him. He took it and began to drink happily. Hermione put him down and walked over tot the mirror. 

"You look awful dear, not enough sleep!" her reflection said critically. 

"Tell me about it." Hermione said rolling her eyes. "No Harry!" Hermione shouted as she turned to find Harry walking up to the fireplace which had magically burst into green flames.

She ran towards Harry and scooped him up in her arms. The fire was glowing bright green, signaling that the internal floo system was in use, and its user was coming here. Annabelle appeared in the flame sand stepped out of the fire.

"And were have you been?" Hermione demanded angrily.

"I went to get my clothes." Annabelle said as she thrust two suitcases forward. "I got some for you and Harry too."

"Where was your father, I mean Sirius?" Hermione asked putting Harry down and picking up the bags.

"At work I think. Or down the pub." Annabelle said breezily. "Whats times breakfast? Can I see the school today?"

Hermione stood there stunned, her daughter had gone home via floo powder, which they didn't use at home because of Harry, got their clothes and got home and was now demanding to see the school. 

"We don't eat with the students, we eat in here. No one knows you're here." Hermione and taking the bags into the bedroom. 

 "Well what are we supposed to do all day then?" Annabelle demanded. "We can't stay here all day! I'm not looking after Harry!" she said crossly. 

Hermione re-emerged "no dear erm, I don't know just yet I'll go and talk to Dumbledore." 

Just at that moment there was a knock on the door. 

"Miss Granger, I'm sorry I mean Hermione." It was Minerva McGonagall. "So its true you back, well dear I do hope your ok. What are you going to do with the children?" Minerva voicing herself what Hermione was thinking. "I have an idea, you could bring them to the staff room, Chloe Sprout and Mille Hooch have nothing to do and will be only too pleased to keep an eye on them I'm sure, and they don't have lessons until this afternoon." 

Hermione smiled gratefully and looked at Annabelle, who was still standing glaring and had her arms crossed tighter. 

"I'm not going!" she announced. 

"She's stubborn isn't she?" Minerva laughed, "Not unlike her mother, or her father for that matter." Minerva said looking at Hermione meaningfully "well take her with you to Albus he wants to see her anyway." Minerva said and picked up Harry from round his mothers legs. "Come on dear lets take you away."

When Minerva had left Annabelle grinned.

"I'm gonna see the school now aren't I? Will I be allowed in lessons when do I get a wand?" she asked excitedly.

"I don't know, let just go and see Professor Dumbledore." Hermione said walking up tot the fireplace. "Annabelle this is only and internal floo system how did you get it connected to our house?" Hermione asked looking sternly at her daughter.

"I asked Dumbledore," she said meekly and too a handful of powder from the pot next to the fire place. 

She stepped into it and shouted Dumbledore's office. And she was gone in a flash of green. Hermione hurried after her and was stood next o her in the headasters office moments later. 

"Ah Hermione, and young Annabelle." Dumbledore said as he entered his room from the back. "What can I do for you?"

"Headmaster you know I'm only too delighted to take over from Severus while he is away, but the matter of my children. What am I to do with them?" Hermione asked.

"Well Hermione if you want you can send Harry to the nursery in Hogsmeade village." He said and then looked at Annabelle. He walked to a shelf behind his desk and picked up the old school sorting hat. 

"Headmaster, I didn't really want Annabelle to stay in the castle, you see she hasn't finished primary school." Hermione's protests fell on deaf ears. 

Dumbledore placed the hat on the small child's head. 

"Is she ready?" Dumbledore asked the hat.

"Oh yes, I can see it all, A fine mind and eager too." The hat said aloud. "She will go far this girl, in the right school." 

"Well Hermione would you consent to it? " Dumbledore asked turning to Hermione.

Hermione looked pained for a moment. Of course she wanted her child to go far, but she was only 8 how could she be ready for magical training yet? She would be 3 years younger than her peers. But then so what? She was good apparently, why squash a flower that could blossom so beautifully? But she still had reservations.

"Can we trial it first?" Hermione asked looked worried. "Just to see how it goes."

Dumbledore nodded and turned to Annabelle and the hat. "So what house will she be in?"

"That's easy," the hat said and paused, "Slytherin." It said and its rip of a mouth turned into an unmistakable grin. 

Annabelle took the hat off grinning as well. She beamed at her mother and then at Dumbledore. 

"Well Miss Black I believe you have a class this morning. Here is your timetable, ah potions first lesson." Dumbledore said and handed Annabelle her timetable. 

Annabelle hugged her mother and ran out of the room tot the Great Hall. 

"Quite an impressive child you have brought up, reminds me of you in many ways. Same determination, but the stubbornness of her father." Albus said and sat down at his desk. 

"You want me for something Albus?" Hermione said trying not sounding impatient. 

"Oh yes, it seems our Defense teacher has not arrived as I had hoped, they told me they would be a few weeks late but 6 weeks is rather an unacceptable absence don't you agree? Well could you fill that place for me?"

"Yes head master, do you have lesson plans? Or am I to do them myself." Hermione asked thinking of the impending work load.

"I have a few weeks worth of lesson plans and a syllabus the rest is up to you." Albus said and handed her the papers and a timetable. "Good luck Professor Black." Albus said and dismissed her. 

~*~

At dinner a very irate Severus Snape stormed up to Hermione.

"May I have a word, in private Professor Black?" he said through gritted teeth. 

Hermione nodded worried and confused. 

She followed Severus out of the door behind the high table into a small room.

"What are you trying to do?" He demanded, he didn't shout he kept his voice level and it was more unnerving.

"What? What are you talking about?" Hermione faltered.

"Your daughter waltzes into my lesson this morning, no wand, no equipment and with some cock and bull story about starting school. If you can't control her I shall ask Albus to remove her from the school." Severus glared at her, his arms crossed and his lips pulled tight, just like Annabelle. 

"Severus she is attending this school. Albus sorted it out this morning." She said looking directly into his glare. "She is also your daughter Severus."

Hermione watched Severus expression change as he registered what she had just said. 

"What? My daughter? I know you're angry with me for the way I left you, but you're not going to guilt me into loving you…" Severus said uncertainly with a hint of a nervous laugh. He stopped when he saw the flame in Hermione's eyes burn.

"Oh get over yourself! I'm not trying to guilt you into anything. But she wants to know her father I can't stop her can I? She attends this school and you're her father." Hermione glared at Severus with an intensity that more than matched his. "Yes as you so bluntly put it, Sirius isn't fulfilling his role as husband or father; he told her that you were her father. He told her she was a bastard child, and how she is so much like you. How he hated her."

Severus stood for a moment, shell shocked. 

"He said that to her? To my daughter?" he said angry beginning to show.

"Don't get protective now; a moment ago she was my daughter." Hermione said scathingly. "A moment ago she was unruly, I suppose now she is just misunderstood." For some reason Hermione felt like hurting him. Maybe because of the way he had left those years ago.

"I want to sort this out." Severus said plainly, walking to the door. "Meet me in the three broomsticks tonight and we'll discuss it." He said curtly and left. 

Hermione felt so angry. She was a mother, the mother of his own child and still he treated her like a child. She picked up the chair nearest to her and went to throw it across the room but caught herself. No she couldn't do it, this is what Sirius did. Instead she counted to ten calmly in her head and took a deep breath before returning to dinner. 


End file.
